Chapter 10 Interesting Data

Ten minutes later, inside the Hell's Frontline conference room.

"Hmm... some very interesting data has been collected." Feng Bujue sat at the conference table, reading aloud as he looked at the projection screen in front of him.

At this time, his four teammates were also sitting around the conference table, each watching matches of interest on their respective projection screens.

"What? Is the match between Order and Ice Emperor over?" Ruoyu asked, turning her head at Jue-Ge's words.

"Although the final outcome hasn't been decided yet, the situation is basically clear." Feng Bujue replied, "Sheng Yu Pian was taken care of by the Naming Difficulty Trio; Atobe lost to Zuiwo Changran; Zuiwo Changran and Wusi Canxuan were successively defeated by Dianhe Wang; and Samodier was injured by Gui Xiao and fled..." He thought for a moment, then added, "I estimate... Dianhe Wang will have to run after tangling with Gui Xiao for a while longer. After that, it'll be up to Gui Xiao and the Naming Difficulty Trio."

"So..." Ruoyu paused for half a second, then asked, "What do you think the result will be?"

"Heh..." Feng Bujue chuckled softly, "Of course, Order Team One will win."

"I'm saying..." Hearing this, Huajian couldn't help but turn her head and interject, "Is it really okay for you to say that with such a matter-of-course tone? What exactly were you doing, running around helping Ice Emperor before the match?"

"I didn't specifically do anything for Ice Emperor." Feng Bujue denied Huajian's statement, "My plan... mainly served me personally. Ice Emperor... just happened to 'catch a ride.' They effortlessly gained a powerful 'momentum' in the match, and I used their strength to obtain what I wanted..." He paused, "...intelligence."

"So... you didn't think Ice Emperor would win from the beginning?" Xiao Ling also joined the conversation.

"That's right." Feng Bujue replied frankly, "In fact... not to mention Ice Emperor, even if the team catching a ride with me was the Gods, I wouldn't think they had a chance of winning."

"Whoa, whoa..." Wang Tanzhi, sitting opposite Jue-Ge, also chimed in, "That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it? According to you, isn't Order Team One invincible, then?"

"Nay, nay, nay~" Feng Bujue shook his head, "Order Team One isn't invincible, but... in terms of individual combat strength of players, [Devouring Heaven - Gui Xiao] can basically be regarded as invincible."

"According to you, wouldn't that mean our other teams have no chance at all?" Ruoyu said, "Should everyone just pray not to encounter Order Team One before the finals, and then fight for second place?"

"I didn't say that." Feng Bujue replied, "In my opinion, no one is unbeatable... including myself. Of course, dealing with a monster of Gui Xiao's level requires some planning and preparation. Today's setup is part of that preparation."

"Understood." Xiao Ling nodded in agreement, "You want to force out his limit in this scenario, right?"

"No." Feng Bujue's answer was almost instantaneous.

"No?" Xiao Ling widened her eyes in doubt.

"No." Feng Bujue repeated his answer again, and explained, "If you want to force out Gui Xiao's limit, you need a combat power of the Four Pillars God level. Abilities below that level... such as the Time Official, the Juror, the Nine Nether Commanders, etc., would need at least four of them." He rested his elbow on the table, propping up his chin with one hand, "As for players... someone of Zuisheng Mengsi's level, you might have a chance if you gathered seven or eight of them."

He paused for a few seconds, then continued: "In short, relying on Ice Emperor's four, plus Dianhe Wang and Samodier... it's unlikely you'll be able to force out Gui Xiao's limit, unless... the other three members of Order Team One don't help at all, and watch them six fight Gui Xiao alone."

"Eh?" Xiao Tan was confused again, "These strength comparisons you're talking about... are all based on Gui Xiao's full power, right? But isn't he fighting in the magic circle set up by the Illusory Demon Church today? He shouldn't be able to exert his full strength, right?"

"That magic circle isn't as powerful as you think." Feng Bujue replied, "The array that I had Samodier and the others set up... its main function is to weaken players' 'summoning skills' and 'spiritual energy weapons.'" He tilted his head and mumbled, "With only these two abilities restricted, it doesn't have that much of an impact on Gui Xiao. Also... according to my observation, Gui Xiao had already discovered the effect of the magic circle not long before Dianhe Wang appeared, so he hasn't even used those two abilities so far."

"Then what's the point of your test?" Huajian asked, "Could it be that your real purpose is to坑 (kēng - trick/screw over) Ice Emperor?"

"How could that be..." Feng Bujue pointed to the screen in front of him, "If I hadn't been secretly plotting, would Ice Emperor be able to make Order Team One lose three people with only Atobe dead?"

At this point, Jue-Ge placed both elbows on the table, then interlaced his fingers, placing his hands horizontally in front of his nose: "As for the meaning of this 'test' of mine... isn't it very clear?" He struck Ikari Gendo's signature pose and smiled, "I just want to see the most basic and strongest ability of Devouring Heaven - Gui Xiao – Martial Arts Specialization."

"Hmm..." Hearing this, Xiao Tan nodded thoughtfully after a few seconds, "Now that you mention it, I suddenly realized... Gui Xiao seems to have been relying on summoned creatures to fight in previous matches."

"Yeah." Xiao Ling also chimed in, "Just looking at the recordings of his matches in S2, he looks completely like a summoning-type player."

"Hmph..." Jue-Ge snorted coldly, "That's because this kid can't find any opponents worth his effort in terms of martial arts." He licked his lips, "I personally believe that, in the S1 era, there were only five contestants who could compete with Gui Xiao in 'martial arts' – Seven Murders, Meng Jingchan, Zuiwo Changran, Xiao Wen Cangtian, and Xiao Tan."

"Huh?" Wang Tanzhi exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this, "Me?" He paused for a second, "And me but not you?"

"That's normal." Feng Bujue replied calmly, "Fighting is also about talent, and clearly I don't have any in that regard." He sat up straight, spread his hands out, "Even now, my Martial Arts Specialization has reached S-rank, but that doesn't mean I'm a martial arts master." As he spoke, he glanced at Ruoyu, then looked at Xiao Tan again, "Given completely equal physical qualities, wielding the same weapons or fighting bare-handed... I am definitely no match for you and Ruoyu."

"Oh..." Xiao Tan stroked his chin and mumbled, "So that's how it's calculated."

"That's right." Feng Bujue continued, "But unfortunately, two of the five people I listed are Gui Xiao's teammates, and Xiao Wen Cangtian's talent is slightly worse than the other four of you, so..." He tapped the table lightly with his index finger, "Currently, the only people among these five who can contend with Gui Xiao in a fight are you and Seven Murders." At this point, he moved his finger horizontally, "Of course, that's without considering Ruoyu. If she's included, there are three."

"I think I understand now..." At this moment, Ruoyu, who had been silent for a long time, spoke again, looking sideways at Jue-Ge, "Today's setup, and your plan... I've roughly guessed it."

"Hehe... I guessed it too." Xiao Ling quickly added.

But Xiao Tan and Huajian still didn't understand, and they asked with puzzled expressions, "What is it?"

Feng Bujue replied with a smile, "That is..."

…………

At the same time, in another scenario.

Boom—

After a loud noise, a tall building collapsed.

If one were to observe from a distance, it would be apparent that this building of over forty stories had been diagonally cut in half from the middle.

The cut surface was very straight and even... to the extent that in the first few seconds of the collapse, the "upper half of the building" appeared to be sliding sideways as a whole.

"Uh, cough... cough, cough..." Not long after, a few coughs could be heard from the thick smoke of the ruins.

Then, the person coughing jumped up, leaping over ten meters high, and landed on the roof of a nearby building.

"Ah, ah~ It seems like I did a bit too much." After standing still, Oda Ai sheathed her sword, muttering to herself.

As her voice fell, three light figures landed a few meters behind her in quick succession, with "tap," "tap," and "tap" sounds.

"I told you to control your strength a bit." Uesugi Jin was the first to speak, "It's always like this with you."

"I can't even be bothered to complain anymore..." Takeda Tomo added immediately, "You muscle-woman..."

"Aren't you already complaining..." Oda Ai turned her head back, giving the petite Takeda Tomo a deadpan look.

"Tch..." Takeda Tomo was not to be outdone, pulling at her cheeks with both hands to return a funny face.

"Alright, we're in the middle of a match, don't mess around." Akechi Nobu, the most composed of the four, spoke up at this time, "Ai, you really should pay more attention in the future. Acting recklessly like that, regardless of the combat environment, is equivalent to giving the opponent an opportunity... allowing them to escape in the smoke."

"That's right, that's right..." Takeda Tomo immediately responded, "Now there's only one of them left, and he's definitely going to run in this situation. It'll be such a hassle to find him."

"You don't have to worry about that." Oda Ai said, shifting her gaze back to the smoke and dust below, "Although I'm not familiar with this person, I know... he will definitely not run."

"Huh?" Takeda Tomo was stunned for a moment, then laughed a few times, "Ha! What are you thinking?" She ran to the edge of the roof, pointing her finger at the pile of rubble covered in dust below, "Could there really be such an idiot who knows that all his teammates are already dead, yet still faces four opponents head-on?"

Bang—

Before she could finish speaking, a muffled sound came from the smoke and dust. Immediately afterward, a figure soared up, breaking through the air.

Two seconds later, the figure landed steadily on the railing at the edge of the roof, standing tall and proud on the iron bar.

He was wearing a white Pegasus Saint Cloth, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, exuding an imposing aura, giving off the feeling of having background music playing wherever he went.

"hee——" Takeda Tomo almost rolled her eyes at this sight, instinctively letting out a strange groan, and then said, "What is this guy doing?"

Even the more calm Akechi Nobu and Uesugi Jin changed their expressions in surprise, each thinking to themselves...

"What's going on? Didn't he notice we're here?"

"What does he want? Does he have some kind of suicidal trump card?"

"Hahaha... Red-haired one, you did a great job!" Pegasus Soaring Through the Sky, who had been crossing his arms in front of his chest, pointed at Oda Ai, who he was staring at as if no one else was there, "Next, it's my turn, right!"

"Do you think this is a turn-based game..." Takeda Tomo, who was standing closest to him, immediately retorted, raising her hand to swing her weapon at him.

"Alright!" To everyone's surprise, Oda Ai also responded loudly, "None of you are allowed to interfere, I'm going to defeat him myself!"

"Hey... are you going crazy along with this idiot?" Takeda Tomo suddenly turned her head and shouted at her teammates, "This is a moron who jumped alone in front of four opponents, struck a pose without any defense, and is ready for a life-or-death battle!"

When Takeda Tomo was complaining, she clearly still intended to attack Little Ma-Ge. But in the next second... she suddenly saw Akechi Nobu in the distance shaking his head slightly at her and giving her a look.

In that instant, Takeda Tomo seemed to understand something after a little thought, and then she stopped talking and retreated to the side.

"Are we really not going to help?" Two seconds later, Uesugi Jin lowered her voice and said to Akechi Nobu beside her.

"This is a good opportunity, Jin." Akechi Nobu also replied in a whisper, "Don't forget, he is the champion of the Peak Tournament S1..."

Uesugi Jin's expression changed slightly upon hearing this: "I see..." She immediately understood her teammate's intention, "To let our Warring States' trump card defeat the S1 champion in a 'one-on-one'..."

"That's right." Akechi Nobu continued, "Although Pegasus Soaring Through the Sky is not recognized as the strongest player, the title of champion is not to be taken lightly. Killing him in a gang fight is not the same as defeating him in a duel..."

As they were talking, the battle on the other side had already begun.

"Take this!" Pegasus Soaring Through the Sky, in his usual style, had to notify his opponent before attacking, and then announce the name of his move.

So, dear viewers, I'm sure you've already guessed it. The skill that Little Ma-Ge would use is naturally that one...

"Pegasus Meteor Fist!"

With a shout, the shadow of the fist appeared quickly.

Pegasus Soaring Through the Sky moved his fists in rapid succession, and the silver-white fist rays were like raging waves, surging forth and attacking Oda Ai completely.

"You bastard..." As Oda Ai spoke, her right hand was already gripping the hilt of the samurai sword at her left waist, "Whether it's in the match recordings... or just now... you only use this one move over and over again!"

By the time she said the last two words, her tone had turned into a roar.

And the samurai sword in her hand... was unsheathed.